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2019-05-21

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2019-06-06

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Biography information for Chris Skidmore

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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the Oil and Gas Authority’s proposed supplemental guidance for the Disclosure of
certain Geophysical Survey Data (created or acquired under an Exploration Licence
pre-2018) published in March 2019, whether the impact assessment included a full assessment
of the effect of that guidance on geophysical companies based in the UK.

<p>The treatment of legacy geophysical survey data is a matter for the independent
oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority, which ran a consultation exercise
on the issue to which it will respond later this year.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the Oil and Gas Authority’s proposed supplemental guidance on the disclosure of
certain Geophysical Survey Data (created or acquired under an Exploration Licence
pre-2018) published in March 2019, what assessment his Department has made of the
compatibility with the rule of law of the retrospective application of that guidance.

<p>The treatment of legacy geophysical survey data is a matter for the independent
oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority, which ran a consultation exercise
on the issue to which it will respond later this year.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether
his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of a establishing a
citizens assembly on tackling climate change.

<p>Climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face, and we
firmly welcome the national conversation on climate change now underway.</p><p>We
engage with citizens issues through a variety of channels, including as part of the
first ever Green GB Week, which was held in October 2018 to showcase the benefits,
opportunities and challenges of tackling climate change and driving clean growth.
We look forward to the second Green Great Britain Week on 4 November 2019 as an opportunity
to engage businesses, scientists, entrepreneurs and the public, across the country.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the
cost to his Department has been of the Renewable Heat Incentive, and what assessment
he has made of the value for money of that incentive.

<p>Payments to participants on the Renewable Heat Incentive are funded through Annual
Management Expenditure (AME) rather than Department Expenditure (DEL). Once all heat
readings are submitted, we expect the cumulative AME spend on the RHI to the end of
2018/19 to be approximately £2.68bn.</p><p>Ofgem e-Serve administers the scheme on
behalf of the Department alongside a number of other schemes. Funding for delivering
those schemes was just over £19 million in 2018/19.</p><p>In relation to value for
money, this is assessed as part of regular Impact Assessments, the last of which was
published in February 2018.</p>

<p>Ofgem requires energy companies to promote and maintain a Priority Services Register
(PSR), to provide non-financial help to certain groups of vulnerable consumers. Ofgem
is responsible for ensuring compliance with these requirements.</p><p>In 2016, Ofgem
introduced new requirements that companies take all reasonable steps to identify customers
who may benefit from PSR services and introduced a broad “Vulnerability Principle”
in 2017, which clarifies that suppliers need to make an extra effort to identify and
respond to the needs of consumers in vulnerable situations, which can help identify
those who could benefit from PSR services.</p><p>The number of consumers on PSRs has
risen from 1.7 million electricity and 1.4 million gas consumers in 2010, to nearly
6 million electricity and 4.8 million gas consumers in 2017. Ofgem publish information
on energy company performance, available online at:</p><p><a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2018/11/vulnerability_report_2018.pdf"
target="_blank">https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2018/11/vulnerability_report_2018.pdf</a></p><p>Ofgem
is also working to promote PSR data sharing between energy and water companies in
England and Wales (with the customer’s consent) following a successful pilot in Spring
2018.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent
comparative assessment he has made of the cost of gas to British consumers relative
to the cost to consumers in each of the other member states of the EU.

<p>The Department is committed to regular and transparent reporting on the price of
gas for UK consumers and currently publishes a price comparison with EU member states
on a bi-annual basis. The latest statistical reports from this series are available
here: <a href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fstatistical-data-sets%2Finternational-domestic-energy-prices&amp;data=02%7C01%7CThomas.Lane%40beis.gov.uk%7Cb4196cc03ed84ca5ef4b08d6e36b7d91%7Ccbac700502c143ebb497e6492d1b2dd8%7C0%7C0%7C636946448136868794&amp;sdata=IDLG6f8mx8LSfW2pAo35UIjF3cPP%2FRahNB1X8F4%2FgGg%3D&amp;reserved=0"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/international-domestic-energy-prices</a></p><p>The
UK has some of the lowest domestic gas prices in the EU. Average prices paid by consumers
for the period January to June 2018 were the second lowest in the EU15 and were 31
per cent lower than the median average price.</p><p>Recent figures also show that
gas prices for UK consumers has been consistently cheaper than the median average
for all EU member states (EU28) since 2016 currently peaking at 15.5% cheaper in the
first half of 2018.</p><p>These figures are for average domestic gas prices including
taxes paid for by UK domestic consumers, with a consumption level of the EU’s definition
of a ‘medium’ amount of gas per annum (5,557 – 55,557 kWh).</p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he
plans to lay before the House the Strategy and Policy Statement relating to the functions
of Ofgem following the consultation on the draft statement of August 2014.

<p>The Government will not be issuing a response to a consultation on the strategic
priorities of a previous Government.</p><p>A Strategic Policy Statement is a discretional
policy tool, introduced under the Energy Act 2013, for use by my rt. hon. Friend the
Secretary of State.</p><p>The Government has absolute confidence in Ofgem, as the
independent GB energy market regulator, to carry out its statutory objectives and
functions, to protect existing and future energy consumers, and to deliver a raft
of policies focused on decarbonisation, ensuring security of supply and lowering costs
for consumers.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he
plans to publish a response to the consultation on the draft Strategy and Policy Statement
relating to the functions of Ofgem, published in August 2014.

<p>The Government will not be issuing a response to a consultation on the strategic
priorities of a previous Government.</p><p>A Strategic Policy Statement is a discretional
policy tool, introduced under the Energy Act 2013, for use by my rt. hon. Friend the
Secretary of State.</p><p>The Government has absolute confidence in Ofgem, as the
independent GB energy market regulator, to carry out its statutory objectives and
functions, to protect existing and future energy consumers, and to deliver a raft
of policies focused on decarbonisation, ensuring security of supply and lowering costs
for consumers.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance
on the functions of Ofgem relating to climate and environment priorities he plans
to include in the Strategy and Policy Statement relating to the functions of Ofgem,
published in August 2014.

<p>The Government will not be issuing a response to a consultation on the strategic
priorities of a previous Government.</p><p>A Strategic Policy Statement is a discretional
policy tool, introduced under the Energy Act 2013, for use by my rt. hon. Friend the
Secretary of State.</p><p>The Government has absolute confidence in Ofgem, as the
independent GB energy market regulator, to carry out its statutory objectives and
functions, to protect existing and future energy consumers, and to deliver a raft
of policies focused on decarbonisation, ensuring security of supply and lowering costs
for consumers.</p>

<p>Green Finance is a key priority for the Government - to support delivery of our
ambitious Clean Growth Strategy, to drive economic growth as part of our Industrial
Strategy, and to ensure the UK remains a key driving force in enabling the global
transition to a low carbon economy. We have already taken action to respond to the
recommendations of the Green Finance Taskforce. This includes announcing the establishment
of the Green Finance Institute. We will be publishing our Green Finance Strategy in
due course.</p>